BHHS Football Faces Tough Test

It was a difficult game for the varsity football team Friday night in Santa Clarita. The Normans traveled one hour north to play Canyon of Canyon Country and the host Cowboys scored early and often, building a 42-0 halftime lead en route to a 56-6 non-league victory.

At second in the CIF Southern Section's Northern Division rankings, Canyon (4-0) took advantage of every Beverly Hills miscue, including a 55-yard interception return. The visitors averted the shutout in the third quarter, but Canyon tacked on two second-half touchdowns to provide the final margin.

Canyon defeated Beverly Hills 31-21 last season at Nickoll Field. This season, the Normans are having trouble putting points on the board. They are averaging just 15 points per game and have scored only six points in two of their four contests. Also hurting the team is its inability to stop the run, as opponents are racking up close to 200 yards per game on the ground.

As if Canyon wasn't tough enough, the Normans travel north again Thursday to play another elite program, Mission Hills Alemany, which crushed Beverly Hills 53-0 last fall. The Warriors (3-2) are looking to atone for last week's 14-13 loss to Dorsey of the Los Angeles City Section. The team has victories over Pasadena, Eastside and Chaminade (ranked No. 1 in the Western Division) and losses to J.W. North and Dorsey.

Alemany is ranked No. 10 in the Pac-5 Division, the Southern Section's toughest division. Should the Normans lose Thursday it would mark the first time Coach Donald Paysinger's squad has started the season 1-4 since 2004 when the Normans lost five of their first six games and finished 3-7.

Beverly Hills finished in a three-way tie for second place in the Ocean League last season with Santa Monica and Culver City. Inglewood was the surprise champion. The Normans made the Western Division playoffs but lost 48-7 to Gardena Serra in the first round. The last time Beverly Hills missed the playoffs was 2009 when it went 4-6 and finished fourth in its league. 

League rival Culver City is 4-0 and moved from seventh to fifth in the weekly Western Division poll after blanking winless Leuzinger 52-0. Santa Monica (3-1) lost 17-0 at Valencia (ranked eighth in the Northern Division) but remains on the "others to be considered" list, just outside the division's top 10. Hawthorne has started the season 3-1 and Morningside is 2-2. Defending champion Inglewood is 1-3 and has scored only 30 points.

Thursday's game kicks off at 7 p.m. at Alemany High. It is the last non-league match of the season.

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